Arthritis Pain Causes Severe Distress

Joint pain is typically caused by inflammation in the joint, known as synovitis. It may affect a single joint or multiple joints (polyarthritis or polyarticular joint pain). Joint pain is usually accompanied by swelling, heat, stiffness, limited range of motion, and sometimes redness. Acute joint pain comes on suddenly and usually resolves fairly quickly. It may be caused by injuries such as sprains and strains, or an acute viral illness. Chronic joint pain comes on slowly and worsens over time. Causes of chronic joint pain include:^1,2

• Overuse of the joint, causing bursitis or tendonitis

• Osteoarthritis

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Gout

• Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE or Lupus) and other autoimmune conditions

• Infection of the joint or bone

• Osteoporosis

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common causes of chronic joint pain in Australian adults. Around 3.6 million people in Australia suffer from arthritis, with older adults over 45 years of age more commonly affected. Arthritis can have a large detrimental affect on quality of life. People with arthritis are 2 times more likely to report high or very high levels of psychological distress than people without arthritis. In addition, 45% of arthritis sufferers report that their pain moderately or severely interferes with their normal work and life.³

The Power of Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle management is an important component of care that should not be neglected. Small but consistent changes in daily habits can have a significant impact on pain and mobility for patients with joint pain.

Weight management

Clinical practice guidelines strongly recommend weight management for patients with joint pain. Research shows that overweight or obese patients who achieve weight loss of at least 5% of body weight have greater symptomatic relief.⁴

Exercise

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) strongly recommend exercise as a key strategy to improve pain and function in all patients with arthritis. Types of exercise should include muscle strengthening/resistance exercise, stretching and range of motion exercise, aerobic exercise, and balance exercises such as Tai Chi and yoga. Duration, frequency and intensity of exercise should be tailored to suit the individual’s fitness and ability.⁵  These recommendations are supported by strong scientific evidence, with a meta-analysis of 20 clinical trials concluding that aquatic exercise, land-based exercise, Tai Chi, and yoga showed a small to high effect for improving pain, physical function, quality of life, and stiffness in osteoarthritis sufferers.⁶

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Scientific studies show that anti-inflammatory diets may improve joint pain via a reduction in inflammatory mediators. A systematic review of clinical trials found that patients following the Mediterranean diet or the Prudent diet, both characterised by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes and wholegrains, had greater symptomatic relief of osteoarthritis than those following a standard or Western diet.⁷ Furthermore, a meta-analysis found that anti-inflammatory diets, including Mediterranean, plant-based and ketogenic diets, resulted in significantly lower pain scores than standard diets, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.⁸

Other Home Remedies

Home remedies such as resting the affected joints, the application of ice (for acute joint pain) or heat packs (for chronic pain), massage, and topical creams are also recommended to provide symptomatic relief of joint pain.¹

Harnessing the Golden Spice for Pain Relief

While medical treatments do exist for managing joint pain, they generally offer only temporary relief and may be accompanied by serious side effects or complications.⁵ Thankfully, natural remedies can help to manage joint pain effectively, with fewer side effects. A large percentage of osteoarthritis sufferers report using natural supplements, and this has been associated with milder levels of pain.⁹

One supplement that is strongly supported by scientific studies for arthritis is curcumin. Curcumin is the main active component of the herb Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the Golden Spice. Turmeric has been used as a spice and a medicine for hundreds of years in traditional medicine systems, and is easily recognised by its rich golden colour. Both Turmeric and curcumin have strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. A meta-analysis of 23 clinical trials involving 2175 patients found that curcumin significantly improved pain and symptom scores in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Furthermore, curcumin treatment had fewer adverse effects than NSAID treatment, and could also reduce the risk of NSAID-related adverse effects when the two treatments were given together.¹⁰ These results were confirmed in another meta-analysis of meta-analyses (an umbrella meta-analysis), which concluded that curcumin supplementation can significantly relieve pain, improve joint mobility and stiffness, and shorten the use of pain medications in patients with knee osteoarthritis.¹¹ These beneficial results are not limited to osteoarthritis. Further meta-analyses also support curcumin for the relief of inflammation and improving the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis,¹² and arthritis of any type (including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and gout).¹³

Taking Charge of Health, Naturally

Chronic joint pain can be debilitating and distressing for patients, and the lack of safe and effective long-term treatments can lead to feelings of hopelessness. However, all is not lost! Patients can be empowered to take charge of their own health by implementing these simple, evidence-based natural strategies for joint pain.

References

¹ Healthline. What to know about joint pain [Internet]. New York, NY: Healthline Media; 2019. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/joint-pain#causes

² MSD Manual Professional. Pain in multiple joints [Internet]. Rahway, NJ: Merck & Co.;2023. Available from: https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/musculoskeletal-and-connective-tissue-disorders/pain-in-and-around-joints/pain-in-multiple-joints

³ Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Chronic musculoskeletal conditions: All arthritis [Internet]. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government, 2023. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-musculoskeletal-conditions/musculoskeletal-conditions/contents/arthritis

⁴ Conley B, Bunzli S, Bullen J, O'Brien P, Persaud J, Gunatillake T, et al. Core Recommendations for Osteoarthritis Care: A Systematic Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines. Arthritis Care & Research. 2023 Sep;75(9):1897-907. DOI:10.1002/acr.25101

⁵ The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Guideline for the management of knee and hip osteoarthritis. 2nd edn. East Melbourne, Vic: RACGP, 2018. Available from: https://www.racgp.org.au/getattachment/71ab5b77-afdf-4b01-90c3-04f61a910be6/Guideline-for-the-management-of-knee-and-hip-osteoarthritis.aspx

⁶ Zampogna B, Papalia R, Papalia GF, Campi S, Vasta S, Vorini F, et al. The Role of Physical Activity as Conservative Treatment for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis in Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JCM. 2020 Apr 18;9(4):1167. DOI:10.3390/jcm9041167

⁷ Zeng J, Franklin DK, Das A, Hirani V. The effects of dietary patterns and food groups on symptomatic osteoarthritis: A systematic review. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2023 Feb;80(1):21-43. DOI:10.1111/1747-0080.12781

⁸ Schönenberger KA, Schüpfer A, Gloy VL, Hasler P, Stanga Z, Kaegi-Braun N, et al. Effect of Anti-Inflammatory Diets on Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2021 Nov 24;13(12):4221. DOI:10.3390/nu13124221

⁹ Connelly AE, Tucker AJ, Kott LS, Wright AJ, Duncan AM. Modifiable lifestyle factors are associated with lower pain levels in adults with knee osteoarthritis. Pain Research and Management. 2015;20(5):241-8. DOI:10.1155/2015/389084

¹⁰ Zhao J, Liang G, Zhou G, Hong K, Yang W, Liu J, et al. Efficacy and safety of curcumin therapy for knee osteoarthritis: A Bayesian network meta-analysis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2024 Mar;321:117493. DOI:10.1016/j.jep.2023.117493

¹¹ Bideshki MV, Jourabchi‐Ghadim N, Radkhah N, Behzadi M, Asemani S, Jamilian P, et al. The efficacy of curcumin in relieving osteoarthritis: A meta‐analysis of meta‐analyses. Phytotherapy Research. 2024 Apr 4 [Online ahead of print] DOI:10.1002/ptr.8153

¹² Kou H, Huang L, Jin M, He Q, Zhang R, Ma J. Effect of curcumin on rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Immunol. 2023 May 31;14:1121655. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1121655

¹³ Zeng L, Yang T, Yang K, Yu G, Li J, Xiang W, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract in the Treatment of Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Immunol. 2022 Jul 22;13:891822. DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2022.891822